1. Scope of Invention
This invention relates generally to sample pharmaceutical prescriptions, and more particularly to a combination preselected prescription form, payment check for the sample prescription and medication sample dispense regulating device.
2. Prior Art
Pharmaceutical manufacturers routinely distribute packaged samples of small quantities of medication for distribution by medical practitioners who are likely to prescribe the medication to their patients. These medications may typically be in the form of capsules, tablets or pills or may be in the form of bottled liquid medications. In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,462, I have provided such a sampler which also includes the provision for writing a prescription for the preselected medication.
However, this practice of regulating prescription distribution, whether in conjunction with devices such as disclosed in my '462 patent, or distributed in sample containers alone directly by the medical practitioner, facilitate uncontrolled and unrecorded prescribed medication distribution by the medical practitioner. That is to say that there typically may be written documentation, except perhaps for the medical practitioner's internal records, that a particular patient has been provided with sample prescription medication.
Each year, an average of 206,000 people die and over 2 million people have severe side effects from taking drugs without information being furnished by the physician as to the possible side effects for taking the sample drug with other drugs or the possibility that the drug sample given to them may have an adverse side effect on their system. Therefore, it is important to provide product sample information with each and every medication sample and in a prominent position or placement with respect to the sample to enhance the likelihood that it will be read by the patient.
Moreover, there appears to be a large waste aspect with respect to medication samples as many are freely given out by physicians and other medical practitioners both without writing a formal prescription for these medications and the likelihood that the medication will never be consumed by the patient.
The present invention provides a combination medication sample prescription form for a preselected medication, a payment check to a to-be-designated pharmacy for the preselected medication to cover either the cost of a sample quantity or to partially pay for a larger quantity, and implicitly, a medication sample regulating device because of having to fill out the prescription for the preselected medication which is then entered into the records of a licensed pharmaceutical dispenser when filled. The preferred embodiment further includes a product information sheet describing the medication, etc., as provided by its manufacturer.